The Dragon and the Fox
by Eliene
Summary: She hated him. No, despised him. He was a fire bender. The person who'd indirectly killed her mother, her tribe, her people. And now she had to help him? No. She vowed never to let him near. He would never know forgiveness. Starts after the waterbending scroll, gradual Zutara. Slight AU. On Hiatus.
1. Troubles of a Water Scroll

**CHAPTER I: Troubles of a Water Scroll**

**Author Note: Hi, I'm Eliene. I've always been an avid Zutara shipper (SERIOUSLY. OTP.) This story will start with the oh-so-famous pirate scene before spinning off into an AU. Hope you like it! **

"I still can't believe you got that bison whistle."

Aang shrugged, his mouth widening into a toothy smile.

"This way I can always call Appa!" he said, his eyes crinkling merrily. Sokka groaned, clutching at his stomach.

"Food. Food. Food," he chanted dramatically, his eyes widening. I groaned; my brother is known to know one and only one thing – meat. It was quite pathetic, really. But he was my brother, so I was known to indulge him…but that didn't mean I couldn't tease him about it.

"Sokka, you just ate. Besides, what's important now is buying supplies."

"Yes! And supplies includes _meat_," he said, shaking his fist for emphasis. Before I could respond, a loud, hoarse yell interrupted our conversation.

"Cheap, wondrous items for sale! You'll never have an opportunity like this again!"

I scoffed skeptically, eying the caller's obviously less-than-honest appearance; a scuffed leather sheath was strapped to his waist, his hair was unkempt, and he had the shifty look of someone who wished to avoid the law.

"Let's go in!" Aang shouted. Oh no. We were _not_ going into that pirate's ship; besides, it was probably all stolen goods anyway. I told him as much and he sighed, doing the patented look only Aangs can do.

Sigh. Who can resist those queer gray-brown eyes? I sure couldn't. I allowed myself to get dragged up the splintery gangplank and into the musty, damp-smelling interior of the ship.

I eyed the interior of the ship warily, noting that every item was overcast with a shadow – both literal and figurative. I was dimly aware of Aang's joyful exclamations and Sokka's moans about the ship's lack of meat, but I was too aware of the items before me to take much notice.

I ran my fingers against the dusty surfaces, holding my breath as my fingertips brushed fine silk cloth and cool, hard jewels.

Wait. My hand paused at a dust-covered scroll. I narrowed my eyes, inspecting the wooden handle; it was inlaid with mother of pearl, inscribed with…water tribe characters! My breath caught as my mind whirled; the pirates must have stolen it…which meant they took it by force. A red haze rose, covering my eyes with its all-consuming wrath.

"Ah, that there's a special one," came a coarse voice from behind me. I whirled around, opening my mouth to retort, snarl, do _anything_ but stand there and let this blatant thievery and probably pillage of a fellow water tribe go by unpunished.

Before I could, however, he continued, "I was saving it for a buyer in the Earth kingdom, but…it's yours for two hundred gold pieces."

The sheer audacity of his words dispelled any thoughts I'd had; I spluttered indignantly, my eyes flicking from the worn scroll to the captain's cruelly twisted face.

"Two _hundred_?" I finally managed, my mouth hanging open in a rather unbecoming way. Noting my modest clothes – or rather, the lack of expensive attire – he sneered, reaching over me to flick the scroll open.

I tried not to gag when the stench of rotten fish wafted from his breath.

"Look. Waterbending moves. You're a waterbender, eh? These aren't just any moves; they're _rare_."

Against my wishes, I found my curiosity compelling me to lean forward. Several figures were sketched, each one depicting a different move. Mounting excitement began to overtake me; just think of the possibilities! All the waterbending I'd learned before had come from my own practice and secret sessions during the night. It had taken me weeks, months, _years_ to master even the simplest moves – maybe this could help me learn more! I was sure with such a useful teaching ancillary, I'd be learning the moves as fast as Aang had earlier today…and there was one of the real reasons. As much as I hated to admit it, I resented Aang's natural aptitude at water bending…but who could blame me? I'd spent _so_ much time attempting to even do a move he'd accomplished in mere _minutes_.

"Look, are ye going to buy anything or not?"

The parrot on his shoulder squawked, eying me with a beady black eye. My eyes lingered on the scroll as I frantically tried to memorize the positions; noting this, the Captain quickly snapped it shut.

"Nice try."

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. I suddenly sense Aang behind me; he eyes me curiously, lightly holding the wooden staff to his side.

Taking notice of the situation, he brightened before saying, "Pirates love to haggle!" Turning to the captain – who by then was sneering at Aang's small stature – he said firmly, "One copper piece."

The captain stared at him for a moment, unsure if he's joking. After a moment it became clear that Aang was painfully serious.

The captain laughed, one of those full-body, belly-wrenching laughs that rumbles throughout your whole body. Taking his lead, the various other pirates positioned around the ship begin laughing as well.

Aang still stood there, his chin rising defiantly.

"All right, _two_ pieces then."

If possible, the laughter's volume seems to increase. I glance at the pirates briefly; they're still overtaken with laughter, their eyes squeezing shut. I eye the scroll; it's within reach, just inches off of my left side. It's tempting me, taunting me with the possibilities. Mental images flit through my mind teasingly; me, executing a difficult whirl that only true waterbenders can master. Me, bowing proudly to a cheering Aang. Me, mastering the moves effortlessly as Aang had.

Before I know it, the scroll has been slipped into the pocket of my blue watertribe tunic. It seemed to emanate a burning shame that travels to my cheeks; I'm sure that by now I am hideously red…there might as well be a sign pointing to me that says "THIEF."

My chin jutted upward; well, it's not as if the pirates obtained it honorably. They'd stolen it from a waterbender. I was merely returning it to its rightful owner…or at least, another waterbender. I deserved it more than they did.

Still, I'd like to leave but anyone notices. I leaned forward and poked Aang, hissing, "Let's get out of here."

Unaware of my theft, he nodded, eying my flushed face with concern. Ignoring his silent question, I marched towards the door, grabbing Sokka – who was about to lick a suspicious-smelling hunk of _something_ dangling from the ceiling – by the ear.

"Ow!" he protested, scrabbling at my iron-hold on his ear.

Ignoring his complaints, I dragged him down the splintery gangplank and onto the smooth cobblestone street.

I began walking furiously, my feet pounding the hard stone below.

Sokka panted, struggling to keep up.

"Katara!" he gasped. I ignored him, looking steadfastedly forward.

"What's the rush?" Aang asked curiously.

"HEY!"

Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. I spared a quick glance backwards, spotting the captain's now-tomato red face glaring daggers at me. Shoot.

"Run!" I bellowed, willing my feet to go faster. I sensed Sokka and Aang's forms following me as I ran, my long chestnut braid banging uncomfortably against my back. The scroll's metal ends dug into my side, seeming to whisper "Thief, thief, thief" which each painful stab.

The sounds behind us grew louder and the captain was joined by some friends. Great. Just what I needed. I ran furiously, my arms punching the air in front of me. Innocent passerbys yelped when they saw me, jumping away at the nick of the time as I twisted through the intricate streets.

Right. Left. Dodge that rat-weasel. Jump over that rock. Run.

Run.

I panted heavily, sweat running into my eyes. I blinked them away furiously, wincing as the salty liquid burned. I turned a corner, running right…

Oof.

Oh no. A cabbage cart. The flimsy wooden structure toppled over, the pale green vegetables spilling over to the dirt road. I had no time for this! The cabbage merchant, a gangly man with a sparse mustache, shouted angrily, flailing his arms dramatically.

"My cabbages!" he moaned, flinging his head into his arms. I thrust my right hand into the soft leather pouch at my side, withdrew a couple coins, and flung them at him unceremoniously before scrambling to my feet.

"Hey!"

Whipping around, I spotted the captain. He gripped a long, winking silver sword with his left hand and grinned wickedly.

"Got you know, thief," he leered before motioning to the two pirates that flanked him, big, hulking men that looked as if they hadn't used a single brain cell in their whole lives.

Silence. Shocked silence. Uh oh. Did I say that out loud?

I smiled warily, stepping backwards. My foot slammed into the back of the overturned cart. Shoot.

The men roared, flinging themselves at us.

I had no water in my flask; I'd forgotten to refill it in my angry jealousy the other day. I cursed myself, bringing my hands up in what I hoped was some semblance of a real defensive position. In the water tribe, I was never taught self-defense, fighting, or anything remotely useful; that was for the men. Unfortunately. Yes, it aggravated me to no end, but that didn't change that fact that I was about to be pummeled.

_Woosh_.

Aang's light form leaped in front of me, his feet sliding back into some fancy-looking position. His arms whipped above his head, weaving the air into an intricate funnel. Aang clenched his hands together in a sudden movement, sending the air at the pirates with a furious slap.

Not bothering to survey the results of his bending, he twisted on his feet and shouted, "Run!"

Well, I certainly didn't need to be told that twice.

Run, run, run. Feet pounded, chests heaved, sweat was poured.

It seems like I'm always running.

We stop by the river, hidden by the evergreen trees reaching above. I bend over, my hands on my knees.

"What-happened" Sokka panted, flopping onto the dry sand below.

I bit my lip nervously, saying, "Don't freak out. But…I kind of…"

Instead of finishing my sentence, I drew the worn scroll from the dark recesses of my tunic. Sokka's eyes widened, and he retorted, "How could you be so stupid, Katara! That's theft!"

Feeling defensive, I hid the scroll from view again and crossed my arms across my chest.

"The pirates stole it from a waterbender! This is a _waterbending _scroll!" I yelled, my chest heaving. Sokka sniffed, turning his head away.

"Besides, I'm just returning it to its rightful tribe," I added, albeit a bit quieter. "Think of it as high risk trading."

Aang shifted uncomfortably, his big eyes darting from me to Sokka before going back to me again.

"Katara's right, Sokka. Besides, this way we can learn from it."

Sokka huffed, saying, "Whatever. I'm going to go hunting. Maybe I can finally get some meat around here."

I beamed happily, quickly unfurling the scroll. My eyes pored over the intricately drawn forms, my feet automatically beginning to follow their movements.

"So, when should we start?" Aang's voice sounded. I blinked. Oh.

"No time like the present!" I said brightly, trying to mask the fact that I'd completely forgotten about him.

Breathe in, breathe out. Ice cold water pooled around my knees, lapping contently at the bottom of my tunic. I inhaled deeply, trying to expel the last traces of adrenaline from my body.

"Alright, Aang. This is the water whip," I called out. Aang nodded eagerly, his eyes gluing themselves to me.

"Okay, water. Do your thing," I muttered quietly to myself, bringing my arms up with a sudden movement and snapping my wrists forward.

Nothing.

I breathed heavily, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Um…Katara?" came Aang's high voice from behind me. Suddenly I was overcome with frustration. Why couldn't I do this simple, stupid move?

"Argh!" I yelled hoarsely, flinging my arms again angrily. Nothing. The water flowed as serenely as before, mocking me with its calmness.

I clenched my fists, seeing red.

"Maybe…maybe the forms are wrong," Aang offered tentatively. "Here, let me try."

He breathed in deeply, drawing his hands towards his core. Then he breathed out, his eyes shut gently. His arms drew up slowly, and a snake of shifting water draped delicately from the surface of the river. My eyes widened, my tunic getting steadily damper.

How…

There. Aang snapped his wrists out with a single, fluid motion, shifting his body weight at the same moment. The water whip flicked itself fiercely, collapsing into a shower of glittering droplets before falling down into the surface below.

"Oh," came Aang's soft voice. He looked at me nervously, scratching at the back of his shaved head nervously.

"Um. Beginner's luck?" he said timidly, smiling cautiously.

"Argh! You and your _stupid_ water bending! If you're so good, just teach yourself! You're the all powerful Avatar, right? You can do anything! Well, guess what. If it weren't for Sokka and me, you'd _still be stuck in that ice ball_. You abandoned the world! Left us to the fire nation!" I screamed, my words tearing from my throat viciously.

Aang's mouth quivered, and crystalline tears welled up in his eyes.

Oh no. Regret flooded through me.

I was a monster.

"Aang…" I said softly. "Aang…I'm so sorry…"

Aang flung away from me, bending himself into the air. I watched sorrowfully as he ran off into the dark cover of the woods.

"Wow, Katara," Sokka said. I whirled around. Had he seen the whole..? He avoided my eyes, flinging a rabbit-beaver onto the ground next to our campfire.

Yeah, he'd seen it.

"I'm going after him," I said fiercely, running out of the river. The water dragged at my legs, weighing me down.

"Aang! Aang!" I yelled hoarsely, cupping my mouth with my chapped hands.

My feet crushed various branches haphazardly, and squirrel-birds chattered angrily at me.

After a moment, I collapsed on a fallen tree, cradling my head in my hands.

I sighed wearily, my hand going to the conspicuously bare skin of my neck.

I'd lost my mother's betrothal necklace – one of the only things I had left of her – sometime…I missed having its familiar weight wrapped around my neck, missed being able to cradle the smooth metal surface, missed being able to pretend she was there with me.

Guess Aang was just another thing I'd have to say I lost…

No. Overtaken with a sudden, steely determination, I flung myself from the trunk. I was disgusted; how could I just lie over and give up?

"Aang!" I resumed my shouting, my feet resuming their previous work of crushing as many sticks as they could find.

There. I caught a glimpse of the pale yellow shirt he always wore between two tall maple trees. Their leaves were a brilliant red and sunlight streamed between them, dappling the ground with liquid gold.

"Aang, I'm so sorry," I said softly. He turned around, an unusually somber expression on his face.

"I promise I won't use the scroll anymore."

Aang nodded, mustering a weak smile.

"Let's get back to Sokka," I said, hugging him fiercely.

The moon always looked so lonely on cloudy nights like this. I could just make out a sliver of the iridescent object peeking out from the wispy gray clouds.

Dinner had been an awkward matter; Sokka of course had eaten with gusto, but I had only picked at the roasted rabbit-beaver. I don't think Aang ate at all.

Unbiddingly, my eyes wandered to the very edge of the scroll, which I could spot peeking out of the tan satchel three feet to my right.

Glancing over at my companions' gently snoring forms, I scrambled to my feet and eased the scroll out of its place quietly, wincing at every sound.

xxx

"Argh!" I flung my arms sharply again and again, willing the water to just _cooperate_. Nothing. I huffed angrily, my hair growing damp and matted.

"Hey!" came a rough voice.

Great. I whirled around, finding myself uncomfortably close with the rotted, yellow teeth of the captain of the ship.

"Get 'er!"

I screeched, running frantically through the water. I ran away from the camp; if they captured Sokka and Aang too the world would be doomed. Tree branches flung themselves at me, snapping angrily in my face. My bare feet managed to trip over every little rock as I tried to peer through the inky darkness; no stars were present to light my way.

I stumbled blindly through the eerily dark woods, my arms clawing my way in front.

_Oof._

I slammed into a solid, warm thing.

I peered up, my eyes widening as they were met by piercingly bright golden eyes, one partially hidden by an angry purple-red scar that wrapped its way around the entire left side of his face.

Zuko. I hissed angrily, moving to run away.

Iron strong hands captured my wrists, pinning them to my sides. I struggled for a moment, glaring at him the whole time. This was the prince of the nation that had killed my mother. The nation that had ravaged our lands. The nation that had murdered so many.

He leaned uncomfortably close, bringing the scent of cinnamon.

"I'll save you from the pirates."

**AN: Hope you liked it! Please review – I do honestly love reading them c: **


	2. In Which Katara Battles a Rock

**CHAPTER II: In Which Katara Battles a Rock**

**Author Note: Oh my goodness, words cannot describe the shock I felt when I clicked on the traffic page…and saw over 90 hits! Thanks to everyone who read it. Thanks to katara-zuko1714 and Liube for reviewing! This is where it drifts way off the story line and into the twisted world of my AU. :D Warning: this is not going to be pure fluff. The romance will be gradual, so if you expect Zuko + Katara to start jumping each other (well, they will…but violently and without romantic intentions), this is the wrong story (sorry! I hope you'll still give it a try though **** ).**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Avatar (unfortunately). If I did, Zuko and Katara would have ended up together.**

"_I'll save you from the pirates."_

The nerve. Somehow the sheer audacity of his statement gave me the strength to wrench my wrists from his grasp. I winced slightly, knowing that I'd have bruises later, before whirling around, the heavy wood ornament in my braid slapping his cheek.

He hissed, drawing back. Not bothering to look back, I began scrabbling to get a firm holding on the littered ground, struggling to run away.

A firm hand grasped the end of my billowy blue pants. I yelped in surprise before pulling myself doggedly forward, my shoulders set.

_Rrip._

Of course. I spared a glance backwards to Zuko. His eyes were furrowed with surprise as he gazed at the sizable stretch of pale blue cloth clutched in his right hand. His gaze traveled to my ankle, and I followed his line of view to see…

Great. First he _accosts_ me, and then he tears my only pair of pants. The left leg was torn to the knee, the edges frayed with thin white threads.

I glanced back up at him, still frozen. He stared back, seemingly unsure what to do.

Well, if he wasn't going to do anything…I would. I swiftly reached to my side, flicked open the smooth topper that held my water flask closed – luckily I'd remembered to refill it earlier at the river – and took a quick breath.

Calm. I needed to be – sensing what I was doing, Zuko's face curled into a nasty snarl, and a burst of searing red-hot flames shot from his clenched fist.

I quickly jumped to the side, stumbling over a stray root. My eyes widened; the flames licked the side of the tree behind me, enveloping the branches with incandescent flames of every hue. I glanced back at Zuko; was he just going to let the whole forest burn down?

I was surprised to see his eyes narrowed in concentration, his hands making smooth pulling motions.

Looking back at the tree, I noted that the flames were beginning to die down. What had once been a roaring fire now had been quieted into a gentle warmth.

Run, Katara. Shaking my head furiously, I turned and began scrambling up the hill to my left.

Stupid tree branches. Stupid rocks. Stupid loud, crackly leaves.

I had no idea where I was going, but I could only hope that it wasn't in the direction of Aang and Sokka.

Even if I were captured, at least they'd be free.

My ankle felt conspicuously cool against the frigid night air. Smooth blue-white light bathed me, casting everything into an eerie shade of semi-dark silence.

Oh, so _now_ the moon came out.

And why was it so quie-wait.

I paused, struggling to calm my heavy breaths. Had he…?

_Woosh_.

A tendril of fire grazed my hair, filling the air with the acrid scent of singed hair. I screamed, falling to my feet.

Run. Run. Run.

I could just make out a tall tree around five yards away. If I could just reach it…

I scrambled up the steep hill, my hands clawing at the ground and hurling rocks haphazardly behind me. I heard muffled grunts as some made their mark, but I didn't bother to turn around.

A rough hand grabbed my shoulder forcefully, yanking me onto my back. My head cracked against a jagged rock, and I felt a distant coolness as the water in my flask pooled against my back.

Dark spots swam tauntingly in front of me, clustering together before speeding off in different directions.

They were so pretty…

Darkness.

Up above, dark clouds covered the moon and extinguished her light.

xxx

Chapped hands roughly shook my shoulders and my head yanked forward, sending bolts of shooting white pain throughout my body.

I blinked; where was I?

The ground was uncomfortably damp; water had seeped through the seat of my pants and goosebumps were raised on my skin. I shivered, shifting to try and avoid the puddle of water.

Glancing around, I noticed that I was in a dark cave. Bumpy, glistening stalactites hung and water dropped gently from their tips.

_Plink. Plop. Plink._

I winced; even the soft sound of water brought agonizing pain to my head. I moved to rub my head; nothing.

Panic.

Was I paralyzed? Had that hit damaged me in some way that even healing water couldn't fix?

I suddenly became aware of a rough rawhide rubbing against my elbows and wrists. Oh. I was tied, trussed up to a slippery boulder.

Sighing with relief, I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I had to get out of here. Sokka was probably freaking out by now and Aang was probably worried sick.

Aang. The very thought of him brought waves of grief and guilt to flood my chest; I'd hurt him. I knew that, he knew that, Sokka knew that. I'd tried apologizing, but…it didn't change the fact that I even had the _capability_ to say those vicious things.

No. I would worry about that later. Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I concentrated on surveying my surroundings. There was a pointed rock two paces to my right. If I could just reach it, I could be able to tear the rope.

I shifted my weight, scooting at an agonizingly slow pace to my left.

Scoot. Scoot. Scoot.

There. Now I was directly facing it, my eyes tracing its tantalizingly sharp form. I writhed, trying to shift the rope encircling my chest upwards. There.

Stretching out my legs – why wasn't I taller? – I struggled to reach the rock. My toes wriggled, just touching the very edge.

I had to go farther.

By now I was stretched on the rocky ground, my wrists yanked upwards and the rope digging painfully into the delicate skin of my neck.

If I could just…there.

I smiled, panting slightly. My teeth flashed white in the dim light as I allowed myself to hope.

My toes curled tightly around the slippery rock, drawing it slowly, slowly, ever-so-slowly towards me.

If I dropped it, I swore I'd…well, I didn't know _what_ I'd do, but I could assure you that it would _not_ be good.

Aha! Shifting my weight backwards, I flipped the rock upwards with my toes, just managing to catch it between my shoulders and the boulder behind me. Shimmying it downwards, I gradually managed to touch it with my cold fingers.

Shoot. I cursed silently, puffs of white air streaming from my mouth. My fingers were cold, clumsy…useless.

It was freezing.

Warmth. My eyes darted to the slight opening to my right, spotting a glow of light that could only be produced by a firebender. I froze, my fingers still clutching the slimy rock.

A long, lean form was cast in shadow, only his hand – and the fireball it cradled – illuminated with harsh light.

Zuko.

I snarled instinctively, the bitter taste of hatred rising up in my throat. Here was the person who'd caused _so much_ trouble for us. Here was the person who had _threatened _my tribe, my Gran-Gran. Here was the person who thirsted for our blood.

If my hands were free, you could bet they'd be at his throat.

He paused around two paces from me, looking arrogantly down at me.

"Water peasant." he said finally, scorn lacing his words.

Hatred. I spat at his precious, perfectly-polished shoes.

"Fire rat."

He stared for a moment before laughing cruelly.

"That's a new one."

I shrugged – or, tried to. The ropes were still digging into my sides – and said, "I try."

He lunged forward suddenly, his eyes glinting with a kind of crazed fervor.

"Where is the Avatar?" he asked fiercely, holding the flames frighteningly close to my cheek.

Despite the close proximity of the blaze, cool relief flooded my body; he hadn't found Aang or Sokka yet. All was not lost.

A spark of hope ignited in my chest, lending warmth to my previously-ice cold body.

I lifted my chin defiantly, staring silently back at him.

Ice blue eyes met hard amber ones, both staring stubbornly at the other.

He roared, suddenly flinging a wall of scorching fire at the glistening wall. I watched silently, refusing to flinch.

He leaned towards me, hissing, "You will help me find him. I will personally deliver the Avatar to my father."

Zuko whirled around, striding back out where he came.

I watched the entrance for a moment before allowing myself to relax, satisfied that he wasn't going to return. Flipping the rock between my fingers, I began to saw at the rope, my wrists protesting at the awkward position.

I couldn't see my progress, but I could only hope that this was doing something.

Because if it didn't…well, I didn't want to think about that.

There. The rope snapped, leaving my arms to hang limp at my sides. Finally. I shook my hands out, wincing slightly at the cramps that wreaked my wrists. Gritting my teeth grimly, I gripped the rock again and set to work on the binds surrounding my waist.

xx

Freedom. I breathed in the cool early-morning air, my legs stumbling a bit from disuse.

Limping slightly, I glanced around quickly before setting off silently into the dense woods.

"Aang! Sokka!" I hissed quietly, dragging myself forward with a branch I'd picked up earlier.

"Katara!"

A faint call sounded from above.

My face broke into a wide grin, the first genuine smile I'd had in hours.

"Sokka!" I cried, waving my arms desperately.

The familiar sound of Appa's call reverberated through the quiet forest as the giant sky bison landed. Aang leaped off and hugged me with Sokka close behind.

Tears stung my eyes as I wrapped them fiercely with my arms; I would _never_ let anything happen to them. Ever.

Shouts rang through the forest, closely followed by the chilling ring of metal swords being unsheathed from their confines. Sokka glanced around the clearing, his hand going to his sword warily.

"Let's get out of here," he said quickly, moving to hop back onto Appa.

Momo chittered, flapping his wings before settling on Appa's saddle.

I struggled to climb up Appa's steep side, my bones still stiff from the cold. Noting this, Appa offered a warm, furry tail. I smiled gratefully before flopping on, clutching the fur as he lifted me onto the saddle.

"Thanks, Appa," I said. He groaned in protest.

Aang bounded lightly to Appa's head, saying, "Yip yip!"

Appa pushed off the ground, his tail working furiously to get us up in the air.

The pirates rushed into the clearing while we were only ten feet above and shouted, waving their swords at us.

I spotted Zuko's familiar dark ponytail as he snarled, jumping into the air and kicking a ball of fire.

I watched as the flames sped towards us, the air rippling around it.

I yanked the spare flask from Sokka's satchel and uncorked it, lifting my arms up. A slender tendril of liquid water snaked upwards, shimmering in the morning sun. My eyes narrowed with determination, I flicked the water whip at the fire, dissipating it into harmless steam.

Breathing heavily, I stared after it for a moment, my arms still held aloft.

"You did it!" Aang shouted happily, hugging me from behind.

I glanced downwards, meeting Zuko's cold eyes.

"Yeah," I murmured. "I guess I did."

**AN:** **Thanks again for reading! ****Please**** review! It makes me update faster ;D **

**~Eliene**


	3. Ice Claws - They're the Latest Style!

**CHAPTER III: Ice Claws – They're the Latest Style!**

** Author Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has read this story! Almost 250 hits, wow! Seriously, it makes me so happy whenever I visit the traffics page Thanks to crazichi123, katara-zuko1714, kiddenii and iSabishii for reviewing! This story will sort of be a blend of my own events and some events from the series.**

Wispy clouds pooled around Appa's body, blending in with the sky bison's creamy white fur. I smiled softly, bending over the side of Appa's leather saddle to dip my fingers into the cool air.

The water vapor condensed against the warmth of my fingertips. Bringing my hand to my face, I closed my eyes and breathed softly. A cool sensation flooded my core as the water droplets hung in the air, reflecting the brilliant sunshine around us.

Okay. I could do this. Squeezing my eyes shut, I thought of icy cold things. Popsicles, frozen seal meat, the tundra that I'd grown up in.

There.

I opened my eyes, watching with satisfaction as the small droplets froze solid with a soft crackling. I opened my hand underneath, letting the small ice drops fall to my palm. Running my thumb over the smooth surface of the largest one, I contemplated it quietly.

For some strange reason, ice had always come easier to me than water had. In fact, the very first instance of my water bending was with ice. I'd been around three or so, teetering around the fur tent with my heavily-bundled up legs struggling to hold up the weight of both the thick parka and my admittedly chubby stomach. The whole tribe had been awash with frantic preparation for our annual feast; the traders were returning from their yearly trip to Ba sing se. I was supposed to be under the watch of Sokka, but he'd been too busy flinging his toy sword at the stuffed panda fox that the traders had brought back the year before. I'd tottered outside the flap, gurgling with glee at my sudden freedom.

I had set out on my own, walking for what had seemed like hours (although I only ended up around five feet from the tent) before settling down and slapping the snow haphazardly into shapes. When that hadn't worked out that well, I'd somehow managed to bend the ice crystals into an intricate portrayal of Sokka kissing some meat.

Gran-gran found me a couple minutes later, and she always reminded me how I'd been throwing mini-drumstick shaped ice cubes at Sokka's face.

Sokka hates that story.

I was interrupted from my reminiscing by Aang.

"Hey, Katara," he said cheerfully, plopping down on the bedroll next to me. I turned to him, smiling brightly; I still felt guilty about my words the other day.

"Yes, Aang?" I asked.

He fiddled with his staff, tossing it between his hands. I followed his movements, watching as the intricately carvings caught the sunlight.

I felt bad for Aang; he had the pressure of the whole word on his small, scrawny shoulders. He was just a kid, yet he was the Avatar. How could this tiny kid defeat Fire Lord Ozai? As he talked animatedly about some antics Momo had put on earlier that morning, I nodded when I was supposed to, but my mind drifted.

His whole tribe was killed – no, _murdered_ by the fire nation. Yet, he seemed incapable of hate. It was odd, really. My fingers trailed upwards to my neck. I'd lost my mother, and all I could do was think about revenge.

"Are you okay?" Aang's voice broke through my thoughts. I blinked; he was eying me worriedly. Aang nodded towards my hand, which was rubbing furiously at my neck.

"Oh," I said, lowering my hand. I smiled.

"Of course. Now, what were you telling me about Momo?" He watched me carefully for a moment, but I kept smiling brightly. Aang nodded, satisfied that I was just itching a spot or something, before continuing his story.

I sighed quietly, letting the ice drops I'd been cradling fall over the side of the saddle.

Everything should be fine. It _was_ fine. We'd escaped the pirates and the fire nation. We were safe…for now.

I shook my head to dispel the negative thoughts before turning to Aang.

"Here, Aang. Let's work on learning some more bending. Although we don't have the scroll anymore, we can still learn on our own."

Aang tilted his head before saying, "But we do have the scroll." He leaped lightly to the other side of the saddle, prodded Sokka's sleeping form, and slid the scroll from underneath where Sokka had once been.

I stared; for some reason I'd assumed that the scroll was lost, but I guess I was wrong.

Excitement rose; I could learn more waterbending! Aang's stricken face swam in front of my eyes, and I squashed the enthusiasm down. I wouldn't let that happen again.

"Alright, so we can try doing those moves with the clouds. After all, they're made of water," I said casually, refusing to let myself get enthused. He nodded cheerfully, unfurling the scroll and scanning the forms.

He pointed to one of the first ones, saying, "Let's do this one!" I leaned over, my mouth murmuring the characters to myself as I read, "Ice claws."

I glanced sharply at him; Aang knew that I worked best with ice. He had picked this move because he knew it was one I would be able to do. I fought down the bitterness, instead focusing on the fact that Aang had thought of me. He had, after all. I smiled, nodding my consent.

"Okay, so it says here we need to focus our chi on ice. Think of how ice's molecules are not free moving but closely packed together, acting as one to form a deadly weapon. Gather the vapor to your fingertips and bend it so it covers your fingers before forming the ice," I said, leaning over to make sure I'd gotten the steps right.

Aang and I took our positions in the middle of the saddle.

I breathed in a cooling breath, working to lower my body temperature so that it wouldn't melt the ice. I closed my eyes, feeling the chi running from my core to my fingertips. I fashioned it into a net of sparkling blue energy, capturing some of the numerous water vapor droplets from the clouds billowing around us and wrapping them around my right hand. Using my left hand to circle my right with side-to-side movements, I gradually lowered the temperature of the water droplets.

Wait for it…I powered my chi into a single burst, freezing the ice with one go into shapely, razor-sharp claws. Opening my eyes, I smiled as I inspected my work; five glistening claws extended from the end of my fingertips, contrasting sharply against my tan skin.

Glancing over at Aang, I saw that he'd had success as well.

"Great job!" I called over. And I meant it. He was the Avatar; he _had_ to be a great bender. It was the only chance the world had of getting rid of Ozai before he murdered any more people…any more mothers. He grinned, a tinge of relief coloring his smile. My grin wavered; he'd expected me to explode again.

Feeling frustrated, I flung the claws over the side of Appa's saddle before sitting back down, fingering the frayed ends of my torn pant leg pensively.

Aang plopped down beside me, asking, "Are you okay?"

I wasn't okay. I was…I don't know. Frustrated? Jealous? Sad?

I turned to face him and nodded.

"I'm fine."

Sensing that he wasn't satisfied, I added, "I'm just sad that I threw away those ice claws – you know, they're the latest style!"

He grinned broadly, his clear laugh ringing through the air.

From the other side of the saddle came Sokka's groans.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes; he was hungry.

"I'm hungry," he moaned.

Yup. Called it.

"Relax, Sokka. I'm sure we can find some food later."

He sulked for a moment, fiddling with the razor sharp blue hunting boomerang father had given him.

"Food. Food. Food." he started chanting, chopping at the air with his boomerang.

Ugh. Sokka really did have a one-track mind. I scrambled to my feet, carefully balancing as I walked towards the direction of Appa's head.

"Hey, Appa?"

He bellowed his loud sky bison cry.

I winced.

"Yeah…do you think we can land now?" I asked before adding, "Please?"

He bellowed again before turning to the side, raising his tail and going into a steady descent.

"Thanks!" I called before crawling back to Aang. Momo landed next to me, chittering softly as he pawed at my pockets.

I laughed, saying, "No treats in there, Momo." He looked at me indignantly before hopping onto Aang's shoulder and encircling his bald, arrow-streaked head with a furry tail.

"Aang?"

"Yeah?"  
"You have a gift for water bending," I said with genuine pride in my voice. He glanced at me before grinning.

"Thanks, Katara! So do you!"

xxx

Trees. Leaves. Branches. I huffed angrily; we'd been walking for two hours with no sign of civilization. I paused to lean against the rough bark of a nearby oak, running my fingers over the splintery surface.

Earth…Aang still had to master earth. After that, fire. Just the thought of it sent worry shivering its way down my spine; where would we find a _firebender_ willing to teach him?

I sensed Sokka coming up from my left; I'd know his heavy footsteps anywhere.

"What?" I asked, not bothering to turn.

No answer. I turned, eying him questioningly. He put his index finger to his lips before motioning for me to follow.

Huh?

I pushed off the trunk, trying to step as lightly as I could on the soft mossy earth below.

After a moment of tense silence, I couldn't take it anymore; leaning towards Sokka's ear, I hissed, "What?"

Still crouching downwards, his shoulders were hunched with tension. I eyed the knife he was clutching; it dipped at random intervals due to his hand's quivering motion.

Sokka had never really faced anyone else in battle before; he was fine with hunting animals, but humans?

"Do you see something?" I tried again, my hand reaching down to uncork my water flask.

"What is it?" came Aang's painfully loud voice.

Sokka sighed, sheathing his boomerang (well, he missed the leather sheath the first time. So I guess you could say he _re_sheathed his blade. Yeah, Sokka hadn't really gotten the hang of his boomerang yet).

"I thought I heard something. Guess I wa-"

Pain.

I shrieked, feeling a heavy weight suddenly drop onto my back. I was dimly aware of two shadowed figures doing the same to Sokka and Appa bellowing in the distance.

Oh. A heavy weight slammed into my already-tender head from behind, causing my head to whip forwards with a painfully sudden jerk.

The (unfortunately) familiar black spots wavered in front of my eyes, dancing tantalizingly close.

"Oh," I slurred, my voice thick. "It's you again."

I was vaguely conscious of a sudden intake of breath at my words, and two (two? That was a bit excessive) smooth, icy cold swords were suddenly pressed to the nape of my neck. I felt a light whisper against my cheek as several strands of my chestnut hair drifted down, having been severed by the blades.

Then darkness.

xxx

Ugh. I groaned groggily, struggling to make out my surroundings. Well, this situation was awfully familiar. Was I…?

I huffed with annoyance. Yup, I was trussed up again. Rocking back and forth, I tested the (excessive amounts, if you ask me) rope binding my arms to my knees. Nope. They were tied pretty tight; there was no chance of me wriggling out of this one.

I eyed my surroundings, noting that I seemed to be in a wooden structure of some kind. Light streamed in from two small windows at the far end of the circular room, alternating from painfully bright light to slightly dimmed light tinged green from the multiple leaves rustling just outside.

Wait. Leaves?

Craning my neck, I could just make out the speckled bark of a tree branch that was strangely close to the window. Was this…a treehouse?

So it wasn't fire nation, then. Firebenders wouldn't build camp in such a highly flammable place. I breathed a sigh of relief; anything was better than having to face Zuko again.

A low moan sounded from my right. I whipped my neck around, wincing at the sudden movement. Two figures were hunched on the ground, their faces obscured with shadow.

I squinted, straining to make out their identities. Was it…Sokka and Aang?

"Meat…" came a low mumble as the taller figure to the right shifted, falling to his side with a loud thump.

I suppressed a smile; yup, that was Sokka alright.

I opened my mouth to wake them, but before I could a loud noise sounded from the windows.

A rather large boy had tumbled inside and his companion, a short boy, was in the process of shoving him, hissing, "Shush! You'll wake them!"

"Relax, Duke. You know Pipsqueak can't help it," came a smooth voice from my right. I bit down a gasp; how had I not even noticed his arrival?

He stepped forward, his face suddenly awash in light. His head was turned away, but I could just make out a bit of hay hanging from his lips. Strapped to his back were…the two tiger hook swords that had been pressed to my neck!

A small sound escaped my tightly pressed lips, and the three figures instantly quieted.

My attacker rushed forward, rapidly whipping out the swords with a frighteningly smooth motion.

I breathed heavily, the tips of the swords hovering just inches from my nose. His highly arched brows lowered menacingly over his dark brown eyes.

"Who are you, and how do you know me?"

**AN: Well, I hope you liked it! **

**I'll start replying to reviews now as another incentive for you guys to review ;D **

**Crazichi123: Thank you so much! I hope you liked this update as well c:**

**katara-zuko1714: Glad you liked it! =D**

**iSabishii: Oh my gosh. When I read your review I was so touched/flattered. Thank you _so_ much for your kind words; I think that's actually the kindest compliment anyone's given me xD Thanks again! c:**

**kiddenii: Thank you so much for your kind words! I'll try to keep the updates coming as fast as possible, but now the school exams are starting so they'll have to be a bit slower :c But I'll still try! Thanks again! =D  
**


	4. Black Dots - Are You Crazy?

**Black Dots – Are You Crazy?**

** Author Note: Thanks to everyone for reading/reviewing/favoriting! Almost 900 hits, wow! =o Please please _please_ review! Sorry for the short length, but I had to give you guys _something_. Next update will be longer – promise! **

**Disclaimer: Do not own ATLA. Unfortunately.**

_"Who are you and how do you know who I am."_

I blinked; huh? I'd never seen this boy before in my life.

"I have no idea who you are," I said truthfully, wrenching my head away from the blades.

He paused, lowering the blades a couple inches.

"You said 'oh, it's you again,'" he said slowly, still eying me warily. Huh? Oh.

"I said that to the black dots," I said quickly, flushing at how ridiculous that sounded.

The blades rose again; great. Now he thought I was crazy.

Although I didn't really care what he thought of course. Nope. No way.

"Right, well…are you a fire nation assassin?" he asked, his voice suddenly filled with a mixture of determination and pride. Pride? Did he _want_ to have assassins after him?

I glanced down at my clearly-water tribe clothes before eying him coolly.

"Oh. Right," he said, lowering his blades all the way.

"Pipsqueak, you can untie her," he called over his shoulder. So, he was obviously the leader. The short kid protested, saying, "But Jet! She could be lying! What if the fire lord is finally sending assassins after us? You _know_ how much trouble we've caused him!"

I raised an eyebrow skeptically; from what I could gather, Jet seemed to only have a rag tag team of untrained boys. I doubted he'd done a lot of damage to the fire nation.

He glanced back at me, smiling. Did he expect me to smile back after he'd tied me up?

I stared back stoically, refusing to blink as he crouched to my eye-level. The ground shook a bit as Pipsqueak – oh, the irony of his name – approached slowly and bent down, fumbling to untie the knots that confined me to this rope prison.

"Who are you?" I asked, finally dragging my eyes off of Pipsqueak's excruciatingly slow fingers.

Jet paused, his brows lowering.

"You don't know?" he asked, a hint of dejection appearing in his voice.

I shook my head; should I? I studied his face; tan skin – almost as tan as mine – dark brown eyes, shaggy brown hair. Nothing really stood out.

"I'm Jet," he said after a moment before gesturing behind him.

"And we," he began. A crowd of a dozen or so scruffy-looking boys ranging from around ten to their late teens suddenly crawled in from the windows, each one eying us curiously.

"Are the freedom fighters," he finished triumphantly, noticing my shock at their sheer number.

"Freedom fighters? As in…?" I began, hesitant to finish the question; they could still be Fire Nation in disguise.

He nodded.

"Yes. We are against everything the Fire Nation stands for."

I felt a brief flush of cool air as the rough ropes fell from my body, pooling on the leaf-strewn ground. Somehow I could forgive them for the capturing; after all, they probably just thought we were Fire Nation. Besides, if they were against Fire Nation…well, enemies of our enemy are our friends.

I stood, feeling the withered leaves crunch under my feet. Rubbing my arms, I ran over to Sokka and Aang.

Ignoring the onlookers, I scrabbled at the rock hard knots with raw fingers. Wincing as the jagged rope bit into my already-sore fingers, I pulled fruitlessly at the knot binding Sokka's arms to his chest.

Tanned hands appeared from the periphery of my vision, reaching down to slide the knot open smoothly.

Well then.

Sokka's head lolled as it dipped towards his chest, his closely shorn light brown hair flopping a bit.

A delicate glob of white drool dripped down to the earthen floor, connecting Sokka's mouth to the ground.

Reaching down to my hip, I uncorked the bottle and flicked my wrists up, sending a thin stream of water to splash my brother's face.

He spluttered awake, water droplets clinging to his eyebrows and lashes.

"Wuh?"

I leaned closer, hissing softly, "We got captured by the Freedom Fighters. I think they're okay though – they want to defeat the fire nation!"

He eyed me skeptically, whispering loudly, "Katara, what if they're lying?"

I heard an angry snort from behind me, and my cheeks burned.

"Sokka!" I hissed.

"It's alright," came Jet's noticeably cooler voice. "Your friend is entitled to his own beliefs."

Sokka eyed him warily, his freed hand going towards the metal boomerang he kept at his hip.

"Even if they are misguided and foolish, considering the fire nation's destroyed pretty much everything in its sights," Jet added, his voice wafting from behind me. Raucous cheers resonated around the small room. I glanced back to spot his band of Freedom Fighters grinning broadly and hooting in support of Jet's words. Jet smiled smugly, his arms folded loosely against his chest.

Sokka snarled, his hand reaching to whip out the boomerang.

Twisting my fingers in a zig-zag motion, I shot a small, unnoticeable spurt of water and his hand and clenched my fist suddenly, freezing the water around his fingers and rendering them unmovable.

"Katara!" he complained, struggling to move his hand. I shot him a glare before bending down to pluck the boomerang from its hilt. Weighing it experimentally in the palm of my hand, I reached to the left and slit the ropes encircling Aang.

The severed ropes drifted to the ground, landing with a soft thud. I heard the familiar chittering sound of Momo's call, soon followed by the soft woosh of air as his leather wings carried him to Aang's head. Momo gazed at me with wide yellow-green eyes for a moment before bending down to lick Aang's head.

Aang started awake, scrambling to his feet as he saw the crowd of armed boys behind me.

I smiled broadly before enveloping him in a hug.

"Aang, meet the Freedom Fighters," I whispered after letting him go. He eyed the group with an inscrutable expression on his youthful face.

I paused; why wasn't he more excited? They were against the _Fire Nation_, you know – the people who had completely _murdered_ everyone in his tribe.

I felt Jet's presence as he neared, his hand lowering on my shoulder. Sokka tensed, moving to tackle Jet.

As he rushed forward, Jet slid smoothly forward, flipping Sokka onto his back in a single fluid motion.

Sokka twitched from this ground, glaring angrily at Jet.

Jet ignored him, instead turning towards me again.

"Katara, is it?"

I nodded, flushing a bit when I realized his hand was still on my left shoulder. I ducked a bit, letting the hand drop from the shoulder.

His mouth twitched as he stared at me for a second longer than was necessary before turning to face the rest of the Freedom Fighters.

"Katara, will you help us attack a Fire Nation fort tomorrow?"

I glanced first at Sokka and Aang, who were both strangely silent, before gazing at the eager faces of the Freedom Fighters. They were all young; Jet and Sokka were the oldest ones in the room.

And yet, they were determined. Each boy showed signs of battle and each one had some weapon or another strapped to them.

I smiled, determination flooding my thoughts.

They could do this.

No, _we _could do this.

"Yes," I answered, a broad grin on my face.

Cheers resonated from the Freedom Fighters. Jet nodded before turning to address his band once more.

"With the help of our new friends, we _will_ destroy the Fire Nation!"

And with that, the Freedom Fighters went wild.

**AN: Thanks again for reading and being so patient! I've started a new fic for Harry Potter (Of Quills and Serpents) which is a bit more light-hearted if you guys want to check it out! **


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